Law of Seven
by takaondo
Summary: Kitten, Isshin, Beach, Champagne, Kuchiki’s Party, Homework, Bed – seven snapshots of our favorite Deathberry and his Ray of Light. A collection of short drabbles dedicated to Ichigo’s birthday.
1. Kitten

**Disclaimer:** I don't own BLEACH.

**Author's Notes:** Repost from the BA forums. I decided to just throw all the quick one shots from the challenge into a collection for Ichigo's birthday. They are of varying quality and length but enjoy them anyways. I have to say, the challenge was really fun, but brain wrecking to come up with stories daily. All in all, I'd like to thank my friends at the BA and then to my readers here who didn't get to see these at the forums.

Prompts were as follows, shamelessly copied from the announcement.

July 9th: **Kitten**  
July 10th: **Isshin**  
July 11th: **Beach**  
July 12th: **Champagne**  
July 13th: **Kuchiki's party**  
July 14th: **Homework**  
July 15th: **Obon** OR **Bed** [since it's Ichigo's birthday, the choice is up to you ]

This first one came to me randomly.

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**_Kitten_**

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"Nyahhh!"

Its ears wiggled as it stared up at the two figures that were crouched in front of him. A boy with spiky orange hair, a girl with dark raven hair – it yellow eyes shifted from each of them. Both of them stared back with furrowed brows before they glanced at one another.

"Where do you think the mother is, Ichigo?" The girl asked the boy next to her.

"Heck if I know." The boy called Ichigo replied. He scowled lightly as he turned back to the kitten below him. "What should we do, Rukia? It's obviously abandoned."

The girl named Rukia put her hand under her chin as she thought about their options.

"We can't just leave it here." Rukia said as she stared at the kitten. After a moment, her face lit up and she turned to Ichigo with a bright expression. "Ichigo, let's take it home!"

"What?" Ichigo replied in surprise. "We can't take care of it!"

"Yeah we can." Rukia argued back. The kitten meowed lightly in surprise as Rukia picked it up, holding it under its two arms like a baby.

"The kitten will be happy because Mama and Papa will be very good parents!"

"Don't get such weird ideas! And stop using that fake voice of yours!"

"Awww, Papa doesn't like Ichiro!"

"DON'T NAME IT AFTER ME!!"

"Nyann!" It said abruptly, and both 'parents' instantly turned to it. It tilted its head cutely at the two of them, seemingly curious of their conversation. Staring back it, Ichigo sighed in defeat. He scowled before turning away, walking towards the house.

"Fine… but if it becomes too much trouble, we'll have to give it away."

Rukia brought the kitten closer to herself and smiled lightly. She turned and ran up to Ichigo's side with the kitten in her arms. A grin made a way onto her face as she turned to it.

"See, Papa does like you, Ichisuke!"

Ichigo's eye twitched.

"What if it's a girl?"

Rukia only smirked at him.

"Ichigo works fine then."

Ichigo's scowl only deepened.

"… I hate you."

Rukia sobbed dramatically as she took off into a run. Fake tears ran behind her as she cried out in a high pitched voice.

"I'm sorry Ichiko! Your father doesn't want us in his life!!"

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched before he took off after her angrily.

"RUKIA! STOP WITH THE WEIRD NAMES!" Ichigo yelled.

"AND STOP CALLING ME ITS FATHER!!"

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**Final Words: **Not going to write much here.


	2. Isshin

**Disclaimer:** I don't own BLEACH.

**Author's Notes:** This is the smallest in length compared to the other drabbles. This one also kind of wrote itself, in terms of how I got the idea.

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_**Isshin**_

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Isshin scratched himself lazily as he stared at the blank piece of paper on his desk. His pencil thumped the desk idly as he contemplated on what he was going to write. An unusually serious expression was etched onto his face, replacing his usually silly grin.

But as though he couldn't help himself, he smiled brightly as he dropped the pencil to the desk.

"I know that being a father means I have to set rules for my son, especially since he's finally reached that age..." Isshin muttered to himself.

His eyes glanced outside his window, surprised to see Rukia pulling a rather disgruntled Ichigo away from the house.

"We're going to miss this movie thing you told me about!"

"I don't see why you're so excited…"

Their voices echoed all the way upstairs as he watched them in amusement.

"But…" Isshin continued before he turned back to his paper.

His hand crumpled the paper, tossing it over his shoulder and into trash can behind him.

"I'm pretty sure Rukia-chan will keep him in line better than I ever could…"

His chair swiveled and he turned to the small picture to his side.

"She's done it well so far…"

He smiled again as he stared at it.

"Isn't that right, Masaki?"

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**Final Words:** N/A


	3. Beach

**Disclaimer:** I don't own BLEACH.

**Author's Notes:** Not much to say about this one.

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_Beach

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Ichigo sighed lightly as he walked along the beach with Rukia. The beach was in poor condition; trash was littered everywhere and its usual yellow sandy surface was darkish gray. They were assigned to clean up this part of the beach as a service from behalf of the school – unfortunately, they were assigned the worse part of the beach.

They mindlessly picked up trash here and there, placing them into the small garbage bag.

"Ugh, disgusting." Ichigo said, throwing what looked like green slime into the bag. He turned to Rukia who was prodding a small pile of garbage with her stick. "What are you doing?"

Poke. "Just -" Poke. "Trying -" Poke. "To pick up this -" Poke. "Trash!"

She finally stabbed it cleanly through the center and picked it up triumphantly.

"Ah hah! This wasn't so hard!" Rukia said as she raised it towards him happily.

"Oi oi... don't just point that around randomly..." Ichigo replied with a deadpanned expression as she waved it around.

A slight squawking sound caught their attention and they both turned to it. A small bird was caught in a messy net, bound to the ground and unable to take flight.

Ichigo glared at it with widened eyes, finding himself frozen at the sight of it. It cried desperately as it struggled to escape. However, its bindings held tightly against its attempts. Before Ichigo could finally regain his senses, Rukia had already moved over to it to release it.

He watched silently as Rukia knelt next to it, slowly unwrapping the netting around the small bird. His expression hardened slightly as she did so.

"I remember... how powerless I use to feel." Ichigo started. His hand clenched at his side. "Like that bird... I was trapped. I was trapped... in my own doubt and despair."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"That just makes me wonder... if I'd ever become trapped again.."

Rukia's expression softened slightly and she frowned at his words. She took the small bird into her hands, slowly raising it upward.

"If you become trapped again..."

The bird took off into the sky, flapping its wings joyfully.

"Then I'll be there to free you..."

Rukia turned to Ichigo with a soft smile and he could only stare back in surprise at her words. Above them, the bird flew over the ocean towards the sun.

"For sure."

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**Final Words:** N/A


	4. Champagne

**Disclaimer:** I don't own BLEACH.

**Author's Notes:** This one gave me trouble - took me a while to figure out what to write.

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_Champagne_

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Ichigo's eyes scanned the restaurant that Byakuya had invited him to during his visit to Soul Society. It was very sophisticated and Ichigo felt out of place among the high-class looking inhabitants around him. At the back of the bar, Ichigo could see a multitude of different types of wines, and other assorted cultured drinks. Byakuya himself had ordered a bottle of champagne, while Ichigo chose only to drink water.

Ichigo tapped his finger impatiently as he continued to look around. Sipping a glass of champagne, Byakuya slowly place it down before he started to speak.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Byakuya started. "The reason I've invited you out today is so we can discuss something."

His eyes met with Ichigo's and they glared at one another.

"Your relationship with my sister."

Ichigo closed his eyes quickly as though he had expected this topic to pop up. Opening them back up, he turned to the glass of champagne on the table.

"I already know what you're trying to tell me, Byakuya." Ichigo said. His hand reached out, stopping just before he touched side of the glass with his finger. "Rukia is like this glass of champagne…"

His amber eyes softened as they reflected the drink.

"She can sometimes be dry or sweet…"

"And she'll sometimes fizzle angrily…"

"But, she still manages to always be refined…"

"And she always manages to sparkle."

He withdrew his hand, clenching it slightly as he placed it back at his side.

"Yet… the way I am now... and just like champagne…" Ichigo muttered. His eyes narrowed as he continued to stare at the glass of champagne.

"She is untouchable."

A small moment of silence fell between the two, and the chatter of the environment filled the void. Byakuya stared at Ichigo before he finally spoke.

"So you understand." Byakuya said.

His eyes widened slightly as Ichigo pushed out his chair to stand up.

"Don't misunderstand me, Byakuya." Ichigo said angrily, lowering his head so that his bangs hid his eyes. "'The way I am now…' because that is no good…"

His hand slapped down on the table as he looked up, glaring at Byakuya determinedly. The glass of champagne shook violently from the shock, but not a drop of it spilled.

"I'll become a man in front of your eyes…! Right in front of you…!!!" Ichigo yelled at him.

With that, Ichigo left the restaurant with an angry scowl. Byakuya sighed lightly before he reached out to pick up the glass of champagne.

"I'll be waiting then…"

He sipped it once more.

"Boy."

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**Final Words:** N/A


	5. Kuchiki's Party

**Disclaimer:** I don't own BLEACH.

**Author's Notes:** This one came on it's own.

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_Kuchiki's Party_

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As soon as he saw the Kuchiki crest over the envelope he received, Kurosaki Ichigo had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had stared at it for a few minutes with a scowl before he actually opened the intimidating package. His hands turned the envelope upside down, and something rustled as it dropped into his hand.

Ichigo's eye only twitched at the elaborate invitation card that he held in his hand.

"Oh! So it finally came!" Rukia said as she peered over his shoulder. Ichigo read it with a grimace and stared at it with narrowed eyes.

"An invitation to the Kuchiki Party…" Ichigo muttered as he read it. "That Byakuya is up to something…"

Rukia smirked lightly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I asked him to invite you." She stated proudly.

Ichigo's head snapped towards her with lightning speed.

"You what?!" Ichigo yelled with wide eyes.

Rukia only continued to smirk.

"That means you're going right?" Rukia asked brightly.

Ichigo gazed at her with a deadpanned expression.

"Does that mean I have a choice?" He asked hopefully. Ichigo stared at Rukia's stern expression and he turned back to the invitation with a slight sigh.

His face darkened at it.

"I didn't think so…"

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It was the night of the party.

Ichigo and Rukia walked together through the Kuchiki Estate. Both of them were in formal Kimonos and Rukia held onto Ichigo's arm as he escorted her through the party. From an outside point of view, they looked as though they fitted right in with the other nobles that attended the party.

From afar, the servants whispered.

"Why did Rukia-dono invite Kurosaki Ichigo?" One of the servants asked another as they surveyed them.

They both sweat dropped as they saw Rukia twist Ichigo's arm when his stature started to slack. Meaningless to say, Ichigo found himself quickly straightening back up in pain.

"I believe the term she used was, 'Future Husband Training'."

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**Final Words:** N/A


	6. Homework

**Disclaimer:** I don't own BLEACH.

**Author's Notes:** I originally though this was going to be the easiest prompt - turned out I had the most trouble with this one.

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_**Homework**_

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"Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…"

Rukia's eye twitched slightly as she gazed at her homework on the small desk in the middle of Ichigo's room. She rested her head on her arm and her pencil was raised over the sheet of paper like a dagger. As angry as she was at the uncompleted piece of document, Ichigo – who seemed to have no problem doing his own – was working diligently on his own desk.

"Ichigo…" Rukia sighed. Her face lit up in annoyance as he refused to glance at her. "Oi, Ichigo!"

"What!?" Ichigo replied as he turned to her, obviously annoyed that he was knocked out of his homework trance. Rukia was unperturbed by his anger and merely pointed a finger at her homework.

"I don't understand this."

"Then you should pay attention in class…!!"

Rukia scowled lightly as she turned back to her homework. Ichigo stared at her expression, sighing lightly before he turned back to his own activities.

"I'll help you as soon as I'm done…" Ichigo said off-handedly, his pencil already scrit-scratching away. "At least try to get the essay question down by yourself. It's mostly opinion anyways."

Rukia stared at her homework with a frown.

"Essay question?" She asked curiously.

"Ah… it should be the long one at the bottom of the page." Ichigo said.

She scanned all the way to the bottom and found what she was looking for. She read it out loud as he eyes traced along the writing.

"A man is driving while it is snow storming in a two-seater car. He comes across a bus stop, and he spots three people; a man who he owes his life to, an old woman who is shivering, and the girl he cherishes. What should he do?"

Rukia cocked her head curiously as Ichigo glanced at her, waiting for her response. Her eyebrows furrowed lightly as she answered.

"He should obviously drive the poor old woman away, since those other two will be fine." Rukia said. She frowned slightly. "Logically speaking, she has the smallest chance of survival."

She turned to Ichigo who seemed to have been thinking to himself.

"What do you think?"

Ichigo scowled lightly before he answered.

"I think he should lend the car to the guy he owes his life to and have that man drive that old woman home…" Ichigo started. He turned back to his homework. "So that he can be the one to stand next to the girl he cherishes, even if it means standing in the snowstorm together."

Rukia's face lit up with surprise, but she smiled softly as she turned back to her paper.

"Is he really willing to sacrifice so much, just for the person he cherishes?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo's pencil continued to write, and it took him a moment before he answered.

"I'm sure he is."

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**Final Words:** N/A


	7. Bed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own BLEACH.

**Author's Notes:** I chose bed for the final prompt. It's the last entry, and fluffier than the rest.

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_Bed

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Kurosaki Ichigo pushed his door open to his room. He quickly scowled at the sight before him.

Kuchiki Rukia sat on his bed, staring out the open window into the night sky. His blankets were wrapped around the lower part of her body, keeping her warm as the cold air blew in. Ichigo, as annoyed as he was that she was in his 'sanctuary' without his permission, found those feelings slipping away as he stared at her soft expression.

"Oi, Rukia… what do you think you're doing?" Ichigo asked, reforming the scowl on his face. Rukia's head turned towards him with an expression that equaled his.

"Isn't it usually polite to knock before you enter?"

"Not when it's my room!"

Rukia scoffed lightly and turned her sights back outside the window. Her face softened.

"The stars are very bright tonight…" Rukia said. She glanced over to him. "You should come see."

Ichigo looked at her curiously, but slowly made his way beside her next to the window. His eyes widened slightly as he stared upward and noticed points of light in the darkness. They shimmered brightly as Rukia smiled lightly beside him.

"Looking at the stars… you would think they're actually very close…" She continued. "But in reality, they're actually very far apart from one another."

For a moment, Ichigo didn't answer as he digested her words. He continued to stare upward before he finally responded.

"Take a look at the two brightest stars in the sky right now, Rukia." Ichigo said, motioning to the two largest points of light.

"Hikouboshi and Orihime… right?" Rukia answered as she stared up at them.

"You see how far they are from each other? Separated by a river of stars called the Milky Way… they are further apart than we can imagine." Ichigo continued, moving his finger back and forth between the two stars.

"But…"

His hand dropped to his side and he glanced at Rukia.

"What separates them also connects them."

Ichigo placed his hand on the top of her head affectionately, and he smirked at her small scowl of displeasure. He gently pushed her against him so that she lay against his chest. Rukia's eyes lit up with surprise at his gesture.

"Ichigo…?" Rukia asked.

"Just like how close we are to each other now… it doesn't matter that we're really worlds apart." Ichigo said as he placed his chin on her head.

"The urge to be at each other's side…" Ichigo continued. "Those type of feelings that we share…"

Rukia's lips curled into a small and soft smile.

"That's more than enough for me to believe…"

He tightened his hold around her.

"That we're connected."

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**Final Words:** That concludes the collection! I hope it was enjoyable.


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